The invention relates to a spray can with a valve disk with a valve, which is formed with a valve dome and a fastening collar surrounding the latter at a radial intermediate distance, as well as with a rotatable spray head, which can be placed on a tappet extending upward out of the valve dome and being axially movable for controlling the valve, and together with the latter must be pushed downward against a spring force from a closed position into a spraying position, wherein a stop ring has been pushed and is seated by press fit, fixed against relative rotation, in the collar (30, 92), on the upward pointing side of which a cam track, extending along the circumference, has been formed, over which, when the spray head is rotated into the closed position, one or several cams connected with it can be moved at a slight distance or slidingly, while at least one stop connected with it can be rotated back and forth between two stop faces extending transversely to the circumferential direction, and in one of the two end positions of the spray head determined by the stop faces the cam path is formed under the cam(s) by means of a recess which permits the spray head to be pushed down into the spray position.
Spray cans of this type are used in many applications. For example, substances for the care of the body, shoes, motor vehicles, or paints and foam sealing agents for construction purposes are sold in them. Usually the spray head can be pushed down in any angular position for opening the valve. So that this does not occur unintentionally, it is normally covered by a cap, which can be snapped into the upper rim of the can or of the disk, which must be removed before use and should be replaced thereafter. However, this is often forgotten, and just a moment of carelessness is sufficient to trigger a burst of spray.
For this reason it is already known to seat a ring, which is connected with the spray head and an actuating cap, in a manner fixed against relative rotation, on which a partially open cover cap is seated rotatable in a limited manner. In one of its end positions the actuating cap can be pushed down together with the integrated spray head and the valve can be actuated by means of this, in the other positions the actuating cap is prevented from movement in the axial direction. However, in this case the actuating cap must be made of a suitable resilient material and be designed in such a way that a portion of it can be pushed down together with the spray head.
In connection with spray cans with a cover cap which is rotatable in a limited manner, it is necessary to take special steps in connection with the otherwise evenly round upper can rim for fixing the stops for limiting the rotating movement of this cap in a defined circumferential position. To this end it is known from DE 298 19 515 U1 to provide the outermost edge of the valve disk with teeth or beads, which are intended to prevent a ring from rotating, which is later placed on the can, is connected with the spray head, and on which the cover cap is rotatably seated, and which is embodied with turning stops.
As an alternative, a spray can of the type mentioned at the outset is known from Utility Model 1 168 294. There, a stop ring is fastened by means of a press or clamped fit in the valve disk depression or on the valve dome. This type of fastening of a massive ring presumes a very accurately sized inner diameter of the collar of the valve disk for assembly, and permanently dependable seating. However, this is to a great extent a function of the thickness of the valve materials. For example, tin plate, bare or lacquered, has a thickness of 0.28 mm, tin plate with a PP coating has a thickness of 0.48 mm, and lacquered aluminum is 0.42 mm thick. The mentioned three materials alone already result in inner diameters of the collar of the valve disk of 24.66, or 24.26, or 24.38 mm diameter in a conventional spray can. Therefore, in the structure in accordance with Utility Model 1 168 294 a special stop ring is required for each one of the three mentioned material thicknesses, whose outer diameter would have to be matched to the respectively different inner diameter of the collar.
The object of the invention is based on providing a spray can having the mentioned safety feature, which does not require any special steps in manufacturing the valve disk or the can body for obtaining fixed turning stops, and allows the use of the same stop ring, regardless of the thickness of the material of the valve disk.
The above object is attained in accordance with the invention in that the outer circumferential face of the stop ring, which constitutes the press fit, has a plurality of radially elastically yielding lamellas which rest against the collar.
The proposed spray can has the advantage that, after the valve disk has been fastened by cramping it on the flanged rim of the opening of the can body, the stop ring can be simply and dependably fixed in place pushing it into the annular space between the valve dome and the collar in such a way that it rests with a solid press fit against the collar and/or the dome. Thus it is not necessary to produce specially designed valve disks for such spray cans with safety functions. The press fit of the stop ring on the collar can easily be embodied in such a way that by this alone a very strong holding moment is achieved.
Moreover, the embodiment of the outer circumferential surface of the stop ring with lamellas allows the adaptation to different inner diameters of the collar of the valve disk. A single stop ring for all customary material thicknesses of the valve disk is therefore sufficient.
In the preferred embodiment, the lamellas extend outward from their origin at an acute angle to the respective radial direction. In this way the lamellas are primarily stressed for bending in the press fit and are not merely radially upset. The adaptation to the different inner diameters of the collar is provided by a more or less strong bending of the lamellas.
Otherwise the stop ring cooperates in a known manner with the spray head. Thus, a special design and seating of a cover cap is not important for the desired safety function. The safety function can also be provided without the cap. If a cap is provided for visual reasons, or because a cap with a larger diameter can be more easily rotated during manipulation than a small spray head, it can be designed and seated in a variety of ways. For example, there is the possibility of employing caps which are seated so they can be axially displaced in a limited way or are partially elastically deformable, which are seated and guided, for example, on the outer rim of the valve disk, on the stop ring or on the can body. Alternatively it is also possible to shape the cap in one piece with the spray head, or to fixedly connect it with it, so that it does not necessarily require a special seating on the valve disk or the can body. In connection with a still further alternative embodiment a cap, which is only connected with the spray head in a manner fixed against relative rotation, has an upper opening, through which the spray head can be pushed.